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Banngs, the new Thai Indian restaurant in Gurugram
Chef Arora is a familiar face in India as a judge on MasterChef.
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Ritu Marwah - Mon, 27, Apr 2026
- 15:14 EDT
- 31
Panipuri Thai style / Ritu Marwah
Banngs, Chef Garima Arora’s new Thai restaurant in Gurugram near Delhi is serving up panipuri on the backs of Thai elephants.
Two–Michelin-starred Chef Arora spent nearly a decade living and cooking in Bangkok. Arora is the only Indian woman chef with two Michelin stars. She became the first Indian woman chef to run a two-Michelin-star restaurant (her Bangkok restaurant Gaa).
She has opened Banng in Gurugram’s Horizon Tower 2, which serves authentic Thai food.
“We have three Thai chefs on board our two restaurants in Mumbai and Delhi,” said Chef Monojit Mondal. “ No food can be served before authenticating the Thai flavors.” Chef Mondal is seen squatting solicitously over diners in the Gurugram location.
When training in Bangkok at the mothership Gaa under Chef Arora, he noticed that the party size of diners was 2 or 3 people while in Gurugram he sees families, sometimes 10 in a party, roll up to experience the Michelin rated cuisine. “They demand large portion sizes here,” he noted.
Gurugram has a large appetite.
Is the food Bang on?
Ceramic blue elephants carry within them the exact measure of coconut broth that fills one pani-puri. Not more, not less. The diners lift the puri off the backs of the elephants and pour the cold broth into the puri. In one bite they pop it into their mouths not knowing what to expect. The creamy cool broth coats the mouth and the soft white mushroom and herb filling provides the meat of the bite. As eyes roll up, a satiated smile hovers on their lips.They reach out to the second elephant for a puri.
A pepper leaf with three kinds of grapefruit segments, juicy watermelon, crispy shallots and all things Thai, is folded and stuffed into the mouth as a one bite appetizer.
Gurugram is reveling in the offering of these new flavors. The restaurant was full on a Sunday evening.
Appetizer of pepper leaf with all things Thai / Ritu Marwah“Nearly 30 coconuts are cracked open daily to squeeze the milk from for the day’s cooking,” said Chef Mondal. No shortcuts are taken.
The chefs get fresh produce daily from food importers in the INA market. vegetables like Thai Morning glory, fresh crab, fish and of course, the thirty coconuts.
Vegan and gluten free guests revel in a menu that from starter to desert is friendly to them.
Sweet endings
The mango sticky rice is a fail safe option. The glutinous rice is steamed and not cooked after an overnight soak. The rice is then dressed in sweet coconut cream, a hint of salt and crunchy fried lentils. It is the mango that the rice is married to that can be temperamental. Sometimes he is sweet, at other times he can be a trifle sour.
The king of all desserts is Vegan Lod Chong or Chendol / Ritu Marwah
The king of all desserts though is Lod Chong or Chendol. Afloat on a pool of sweet coconut milk and green pandan noodles sits powdery snowwhite draped in a chantilly veil of coconut cream. So delicious is this dessert that when ordered to share, you will find at least one diner’s spoon hovering over the dish with single minded fixation unable to take their eyes and spoon off the bowl till the rest of the diners surrender the dish to them.
The desserts are vegan. In an entire nation of milk sweets this is a vegan’s delight.
Khana khaya? Have you eaten?
Printed on Banng’s menu is a Thai greeting, Kin khao reu yang? or Have you eaten yet? A Thai greeting used like "How are you?" elicits a response of "Kin laew" (eaten already) or "Yang" (not yet). It expresses solicitous concern in the food-centric culture.
Both India and Thailand share this sentiment.
Chef Arora is a familiar face in India as a judge on MasterChef. This alone draws people to her restaurant. We will have to see if this star keeps its luster.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Discover more at New India Abroad.
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